<p>The common theory is that the admission officers take all of your SATs u have ever taken into account. After seeing the numerous misconceptions on this thread, i am here to address this issue. My friend worked as an admissions officer for UCLA.</p>
<p>THis is how it goes. You list your score on your college applications that you would like the college to consider. Your highest obviously. THen the SAT score report is sent to a secretary who verifies it. The SAT SCORE REPORT never reaches the admission officers who has the power over your admissions. The SAT score report is only there to verify you are not lying about your grades. The admission officers never even see your other SAT grades.</p>
<p>I hope this addresses the myth. However this is only for UCs. I do not know about Harvard, but it would be only efficient to have the secretary verify your score.</p>
<p>this is my friend's account as his experiences in working there in UCLA. But the logic does seem there. It would be tedious especially at a state university to have the admission officers themselves verify the surely copious amounts of list of SAT score reports.</p>
<p>I work in the admissions department at my school. ETS mails out masses of score reports for all their tests to whichever schools you specify when you take them. When they get there, they get stuck in your file, and if they're not there, it's still considered incomplete with missing SAT scores. I don't know whether someone checks the scores on the official report against what the student put on the application when they first come in, but it's not checked when it's put in the actual physical file. When the adcoms look over the file, either the physical file or the copy in the computer system, the official score report is definitely there. Don't know whether they actually look at it or not but it's there if they choose to. They seem to use a single composite SAT score when making actual decisions.</p>
<p>This is true. My aunt works as a senior admissions staff to UCSD and the process is very much the same.</p>
<p>Your SAT report is attached to your application as "proof" of your standarized test scores, but a secretary verifies your SAT score report beforehand and passes on the application to the main admissions officer if all of the information is in order. The admission officer never views your score report but goes by the number you had written down on your application (the admission officer trusts that his/her secretary had confirmed the score already with the ETS reports).</p>
<p>@sahil.patel89, I don't think that will be possible. For instance, say person named A took SAT three times and got following scores:</p>
<p>1st SAT: 800 M, 700 V, 720 W
2nd SAT: 750 M, 800 V, 710 W
3rd SAT: 760 M, 690 V, 800 W</p>
<p>So, A decided to put his best scores ----- 800 M, 800 V, 800 W. I don't think this is possible. But then I'm just high school student so I don't know.</p>
<p>I'm a bit confused. The last seating for SAT testing is the December date, but applications are due way before scores are even announced. What if your best composite scores are achieved during this last date? You can't indicate that on the application.</p>
<p>As for "pick and choosing" -- usually the institution indicates whether they want the best score for each section (more common), or the best score at one seating.</p>
<p>As for testing in December, you just have to send the score report to the college after the test date and put your best scores to date on your college app and hope they could distinguish the difference.</p>
<p>^Exactly, if they want you to put your best single sitting or your best composite, they almost always indicate which--I don't think they'd leave you hanging.</p>
<p>Oh, and I've also heard the deal about adcoms not actually looking at all scores, just the confirmed ones on the app that you have to put (usually composites), it's the truth.</p>
<p>What about the common app? It asks you to put your scores for each test date. Could you put your highest composite on one date even though you achieved them on different dates?</p>
<p>bump... great question.. anyone know the answer? maybe someone like Dean J or another person who works in admissions so we have a reliable source and aren't relying on a high school student who may not be correct</p>